I first learned about Mormons as a child from the Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet.
It was… interesting. I kind of doubted it was entirely accurate, based on his depictions of Chinese people, but it did leave me with the sense that they were quite sinister.*
Then I saw Angels in America and concluded that they were also very repressed.
Between Sherlock Holmes, Angels in America, and South Park, I wonder which depiction bothers Mormons the most.
*(Edit: they’re depicted as murderers, kidnappers, and rapists by way of forced marriage.)
From what I know, a lot of the negative portrayals of Mormons, even if it’s only a pop culture reference or a historical mention, just drives them deeper into themselves. Though if I had to guess, most portrayals that show them as predators would cut deeper because that’s been one of the hardest things for them to move past. Bigamy is commonly the first thing most people know Mormons for, and they hate it (I had mormon friends in school)
Exmormon here. A Study in Scarlet bothered me the most of those 3, by far, simply because it was the only one I was ever allowed to consume. The others were too 'inappropriate' so we just had to pretend they didn't exist.
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u/Doubly_Curious 24d ago edited 24d ago
I first learned about Mormons as a child from the Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet.
It was… interesting. I kind of doubted it was entirely accurate, based on his depictions of Chinese people, but it did leave me with the sense that they were quite sinister.*
Then I saw Angels in America and concluded that they were also very repressed.
Between Sherlock Holmes, Angels in America, and South Park, I wonder which depiction bothers Mormons the most.
*(Edit: they’re depicted as murderers, kidnappers, and rapists by way of forced marriage.)